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Month: March 2009

Already our European election candidate Diane Dodds has toured all counties of Northern Ireland in advance on the 4th June poll. This has included two visits to Queen’s where she spoke to students regarding electoral registration and the importance of voter turnout.

You can keep up-to-date with Diane’s campaign by visiting the Party’s Flickr page to view her photo diary.View

DUP European Candidate, Diane Dodds has been addressing students at Laurelhill Community College in Lisburn. Mrs. Dodds is a former teacher of history at the school. In her comments she spoke of her hopes and aspirations for the young people of Northern Ireland and urged them to play their part in defeating those who want to drag Northern Ireland back into the dark days of the past. Extracts from Mrs. Dodds speech are below:

“For younger people, like you, we want to see a Northern Ireland which is an attractive place to live and work. We want to lay a foundation so that your generation can have the same opportunities as your peers living in other parts of the United Kingdom. We want to reverse the trend of the brightest and best young people leaving our shores. They didn’t leave because they wanted to, but because they couldn’t find suitable opportunities in Northern Ireland. Indeed, for many years, they simply left because it was safer to live elsewhere. You are a new generation which, for the first time in many years, don’t really have memories of what it was like to meet police checkpoints while travelling to work or our town centres being closed off at night with security barriers. Even for those of us who do remember those dark days of Northern Ireland, the events of two weeks ago have given us all a reminder of just how important it is to ensure that we don’t allow terrorism to dictate life in Northern Ireland.

As a Party we’re determined there should be no turning back to the dark days of the troubles. It was summed up by First Minister in the aftermath of the murders; the terrorists have issued a challenge to the community in Northern Ireland and there is a clear choice between democracy and terrorism. The one thing about this challenge though is that everyone has an equal part to play in the response. There are many different ways we can show sympathy and take a stand. I know your MP here in Lagan Valley Jeffrey Donaldson established a group on Facebook for people to show their opposition to the terrorist murders. That group has well over 33,000 members, and is increasing by the day.

It not only shows something of the power of the internet, but also of the shock there has been over the return to the times we hoped were behind us. Joining a group like that is one way to show support, and there have been other gatherings which have allowed people to show their support. However, the best and only real answer to the challenge is through the political process and by registering opposition at the ballot box. It is that democratic process which the terrorists most want to damage.

Unfortunately even the response on Facebook seems to indicate that people don’t always realise the power that they have with their vote. There is a group, encouraging people to get on the electoral register and use their vote. It has managed a grand total of 30 members so far. The 200,000 people who are not registered to vote are missing out on that chance to make their voice heard. That figure of 200,000 includes a third of all people aged between 18 and 24.I know I’m probably expected to make that argument as a politician, but I also make it as an ordinary person who lives in this community. I care passionately about Northern Ireland and I want to see democracy triumph over terror. I want us to work to build a peaceful future for everyone in Northern Ireland.”

Diane Dodds, DUP European Candidate has said that the people of Northern Ireland demand swift justice be visited upon the dissident Republican groups responsible for the death of two soldiers and a policeman over the last three days. Mrs. Dodds said:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those so callously cut down by evil and wicked criminals over the last three days. Constable Stephen Paul Carroll, Sapper Mark Quinsey and Sapper Patrick Azimkar were brave and dedicated men who were serving our community. The criminals who murdered them were cowardly animals who lured them to their deaths and then slunk away into the shadows of the night.

The families and friends of those three brave men will, like the whole of Northern Ireland, remember them as heroes, the people who killed them will be remembered with universal revulsion and loathing. They are beneath contempt. I have no compunction whatsoever in saying that the Chief Constable needs to be given all the resources that he needs to crush these evil dissident republican groups.

All political parties have a moral imperative to support the Chief Constable in gaining access to the resources that he needs to wipe these groups out and end their capacity to murder innocent people in the way that they have over recent days. The public are utterly disgusted at the efforts of the murderers in these criminal gangs to pull Northern Ireland back into the dark days of the past. They want to see these criminals brought to justice swiftly and sent to prison for the rest of their lives. For our part, the DUP will continue to support the efforts of the police to stamp these groups out permanently.

We will not allow criminal thugs to destabilise and destroy the democratic institutions of Northern Ireland. Just as we faced down terrorism in the past, I believe we will do so again. These terrorists will quickly learn that Ulster people will not be bullied or brow-beaten by them. With such overwhelming opposition to these evildoers, it is paramount that the entire community assists the police and bring the perpetrators to justice.”